Charles m



(No Model.) 4

C. M. AMSDEN.

DOOR.

ma Norms uns no., marciano., msnmswn, r:A c.

UNITED STATES arENr OFFICE.

CHARLES M. AMS DEN, OF JERSEY CITY, NEIV JERSEY.

DOOR.

.SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 432,504, dated July 22, 1890.

. Application iiled December 18,1889. Serial No. 334,167. (No model.) y

.To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES M.. AMsDEN, a citizen of the United States, residing in Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in the Construction of Doors, of which the following is a specification.

I make panel-doors having all the desirable qualities of ordinary panel-doors with less cost for materials and labor.

I make the stiles and rails for the door each in three layers, secured together with nailsin a manner which exhibits no fastenings, and yet holds the parts very firmly and reliably. In the most complete form of the invent-ion I secure the layers also with glue, and provide an edge strip on each side of each panel, which is joined to the panel by grooving.

Doors made according to my invention with water-prooi:` cement may be used in the dampcst situations ror for outdoor work, exposed to all the exigencies of the weather.

The middle lay er may be ot' the same or a diiferent material from the two outer or facing layers. I will describe them as the same, assuming all the parts to be of pine or other good clear lumber, sawed to the proper thickness and smoothed and dressed by any ordinary or suitable means. The material for the central layer should be somewhat thicker than that for either of the facing-layers.

The accompanying drawings forma part of this specification and represent what I consider the best means of carrying` out the invention as applied to a narrow door.

Figure l is a face view of the part constitutingthe first layer, Fig. 2 is a similarview of the partially-formed door after the second layer is in position. Fig. 3 is a similar view of the iinished door. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section on the line o; a: in Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is a horizontal section of a portion on a larger scale. Fig. o shows a modiiication. It is a face view of the upper portion of a partiallyformed door after the second layer is applied. Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in all the figures where they occur.

The invention applies to the main frame, the panels and the moldings around the edges of the panels heilig of any ordinary or suitable character.

All the pieces in the-front or rst layer are marked A, with supernumerals, the stiles being A A2, and extending of uniform width the' marked B with super-numerals.v The rails B3 y B4 B"7 extend across from edge to edge of the door, and are grooved on the edges which are presented toward the panels. The stiles are inseparate lengths, extending up and down at each side of suoli length as to fill the space between the rails. Each stile is in two `breadths-one, the principal breadth, of such width as will extend inward from the edge ot' the door nearly, but not quite, to the edge of the panel, and the other a narrow piece of the same thickness, grooved and adapted to lie against and receive the yedge of the panel. The narrow pieces h' b2 extend up and down within the inner edges of the pieces B B2, with alittle space between. y

The third layer is exactly .like the first layer. These parts are marked C C2 C3 C4 After all the parts A A2 A3 Al A5 of the first layer and some of the parts of the second layer B', dec., are applied together the panels E, previously formed and having the narrow strips o b2 attached by gluing or nailing, or both, are inserted in their places. They are held therein with liberty to expand and contract with changes in the hygrometric condition of the atmosphere, like the panels of an ordinary door. Each is confined at one point e at its lower edge, asusual.

M M2 are fastening nails and screws, driven in opposite directions through pieces B', E2, 33, B4, and B5 of the middle layer. All these fastenings are driven home, so that the heads lie iiush, and all are of such length that the points project from @ach face to an extent nearly, but not quite, sufficient to reach through the respective facing-layers A and C.

In making the best doors a strip b3 is rabbeted into the outer edge, as shown in Fig. 5, and secured by cement.

IOO

D represents glue or other goed cement having the quality of causing wood to adhere strongly and permanently.

The wood may be prepared rapidly and ot' the proper size and form by suitable machinery. One series M of the fastenings are atan early stage of the manufacture driven through the several pieces B B2B3B4B5. Then laying the pieces A A2, sc., for the' first layer on a plane table, coating the upper face of each stile from about the mid-width to the outer edge and coating the upper face of each rail the whole width, the pieces B B, constituting a part of t-he second layer, are coated on both faces with glue and laid thereon, with the points of the nails M projecting upward, and the panels E, with the narrow strips b b2 attached, are inserted in their places, and the whole are drawn together into the correct position. Now, the second set of fastenings, which may be ordinary wood-screws, are inserted and driven downward through the por tions B B2 of the stiles andthrough the rails BS B4 B5 into the layer A first laid, but leaving the narrow strips ZJ b2 free to move to allow for shrinking and swelling of the panel. Now, applying a layer of glue to the lower face of the pieces C C2, &e., to compose the third layer, extending from about the midwidth'to the outer edges of the stiles C C2, and covering the whole width of the rails C: C4 C5, these parts are applied and pressed down squarely, a sufficient force being applied by a press or by percussion, er both, to receive the protruding ends of the nails M and force the third layer into firm and close contact with the middle layer. At some stage the edge strips b b2 are glued into the rabbets provided therefor. New, the door may be lifted from the table and held firmly in a plane condition until the glue has thoroughly set and the whole has dried. Then, the moldings G being placed in position and secured in the ordinarymanner, with liberty to yield a little if the panel should swell, the door is complete.

Modifications maybe made without departing from the principle or sacrificing the advantages of the invention. The moldings G are omitted in the manufacture of plain paneldoors. The central rails Al BI CL may be omitted in small doors, or may be duplicated in very large ones, the panels being correspondingly modified, as will be understood. Muntins can be used when the door is of' such width as to require them.

The relative thickness of the several layers may be varied. For an ordinary inside door I prefer to make the middle layer three-fou rths inch and each of the face layers one-half inch thick.

The fastenings M2 may be nails instead of screws; but the fastenings M must be nails, as it is not practicable to turn them in engaging them with layer C. lprefer well-pointed wire nails, made from steel or hard iron, for the fastenings M. Care should be taken to have these nails straight, and to have them set accurately in the middle thickness, so as to stand perfectly upright when the third thickness or layer C C2, dac., is applied.

Instead of making' the rails in the middle layer extend quite across and making the stiles in that layer in short independent lengths, the rails may be made a little shorter, and the stiles may be continuous from top to bottom of the door, but deeply notched to rcceive the ends of the rails. Fig. G shows such a modification. It gives a slight advantage in the appearance of the edge of the door, because the grain will run continuously up and down the whole length; but that advantage is not sufficient under ordinary conditions to compensate for the increased labor involved. l prefer the construction first shown.

Lumber which is knotty or otherwise inferior maybe used in cheap doors for the middle layer.

I claim as my inventionl. A panel-door having a frame made in three layers A B C, in combination with the panels E, and with the fastenings M M2, extending through the middle layer and into but not through the exterior layers, as herein set forth.

2. In a panel-door having a frame made in three layers, the stiles for the middle layer, composed of outer or main strips B B2,ofless width than the corresponding portions of the other layers, in combination with the panels E and edge strips 7) b2, mounted at a little distance within the inner edges of the stri ps B 32, allowing for shrinking and swelling of the panels by the. movement of the strips b b2, as herein specified.

3. A panel-door having a frame made in three layers A B C, secured together with fastenings M M2, extending into but not through the outer layers, the several layers being also firmly secured together with cement D, all substantially as and for the purposes herein specified.

In testimony whereof l have hereunto set my hand, at New York city, New York, this lth day of December, 1889, in the presence ofi' two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES M. AUSDEN.

"Witnesses:

CHARLES R. SEARLE, HARRY L. SODEN.

TOO

IIO 

